WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/INF/153 
8 June 2009 
 (09-2714) 
  
  
 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT 
 
Library - Circulation Policy
 
  I. PURPOSE 
1. This policy establishes rules and conditions re garding the loan and circulation of books and 
other Library items. 
II. PERSON AFFECTED 
2. All users of the Library. 
III. POLICY 
3. The Library welcomes users with a professional or academic interest in promoting the 
understanding and practice of the multilateral trading sy stem.  Visits to the Library are regulated by 
the Secretariat policy governing access to the WTO premises. 
4. The Library provides items on loan to Secretaria t staff, Member and Observer delegates, and 
the libraries of the United Nations and UN-agen cies and Swiss universities under the conditions 
detailed below. 
Loans
 
 5. WTO Secretariat staff can borrow up to five ite ms simultaneously for periods of one month 
per loan.  Loans are made directly through th e Library, under the name of the staff member. 
6. Member and Observer delegates can borrow up to  five items simultaneously for periods of 
one month per loan.  Loans are made directly throug h the Library, under the name of the delegation. 
7. United Nations and UN-agency staff based in  Geneva can request items through their 
institutional library through inter-library loan.  For practical reasons, requests cannot be accepted from 
United Nations and UN-agency li braries based outside Geneva. 
8. Students and academic researchers studying or working at a Swiss university can request 
items through their university library through inte r-library loan.  Students and academic researchers 
not studying or working at a Swiss university ma y not borrow items from the WTO Library unless an 
arrangement can be found with their university library. 
9. Categories of users not listed above may not borrow items from the WTO Library. 
10. Transferring a loan is not permitted. WT/INF/153 
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  Renewals
 
 11. Renewals for loans to Secretariat staff and Me mber delegates can be made as often as needed 
for additional periods of one month, although the bo rrowed item must be presented to the Library at 
every third renewal. 
12. Renewals for loans to United Nations and UN- agency, and Swiss university libraries can only 
be made once, after which the item must be returned. 
IV. PROCEDURES 
13. Borrowed items need to be retu rned to the Library or renewed by their established due date 
(i.e. one month after the initial loan, or one month afte r each renewal).  All items  must be returned to 
the Library in person , except for United Nations, UN-agen cy and university libraries. 
14. Users are personally responsible for safekeep ing of borrowed items, as well as for any 
damage to, or loss of, borrowed items. 
15. Any user who loses or damages an item will be charged its replacement value, unless he/she 
promptly replaces it with the identical title.  Users will not be charged for overdue items, unless they 
become lost. 
16. An item is considered lost if it is  declared lost by a user, or if it is not returned to the Library 
or renewed after three monthly reminders.  An item is considered damaged if it is declared so by a 
user, or if the Library judges that an item has su ffered degradation beyond normal usage during the 
loan period. 
Overdue items
 
 
17. The Library will send monthly reminders by e-mail  for all items not returned or renewed by 
the established due date.  A maximum of three monthly reminders will be sent. 
18. The first and second monthly reminders will be sen t directly to the responsible staff member 
or delegate.  The third monthly reminder will be se nt to the staff member or delegate, and to the 
responsible division's administrative assistant or  to the responsible delegation coordinator. 
19. The third monthly reminder will clearly state that the item must be returned to the Library or 
replaced within two weeks of the date marked on th e reminder notice, after which it will be declared 
lost.  No renewals are possible after the third remi nder.  The replacement value of the item will also 
be included in the third reminder. 
Lost items  
 
20. An item will be considered lost if it is declared lo st by the user, or if it is not returned to the 
Library within two weeks after the third monthly reminder is sent.  The Library will instruct the 
Budget and Finance Section in writing to issue an invoice to the staff member or Member delegation 
for the replacement value of the lost item. 
21. A user who loses an item may elect to replace this with the identical title rather than incurring 
the replacement costs.  The user will have two week s after an item has been d eclared lost (in the case 
of user-declared loss), or following the date of  sending the third monthly reminder (in the case of 
overdue items), to replace the item.  WT/INF/153 
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  22. The Library engages to purchase the same title if still in print, or an equivalent title if not. 
23. All items donated to the Library with the purpo se of replacing a lost item must be in new 
condition to be accepted. 
Damaged items  
 
24. An item will be considered damaged following user  declaration, or if the Library judges that 
an item has been damaged beyond normal usage during the borrowing period. 
25. The Library will not loan damaged items to users. 
26. The Library will inform the user in writing of the damage.  A user who damages an item may 
elect to replace this with the iden tical title rather than incurring the replacement costs.  The user will 
have two weeks after an item has been declared da maged to replace the item, after which the Library 
will instruct the Budget and Finance Section in wri ting to issue an invoice to  the staff member or 
Member delegation for the replaceme nt value of the damaged item. 
27. All items donated to the Library with the purpo se of replacing a damaged item must be in new 
condition to be accepted. 
28. The Library engages to purchase the same title if still in print, or an equivalent title if not. 
Exceptional circumstances  
 29. There may be exceptional circumstances whereby items are lost or damaged, which are 
beyond the control of the user.  In such cases, a user  must provide an explanation to the Library upon 
declaring the loss or damage. 
30. If an item is stolen despite the necessary precau tions having been taken by the user, a report 
must be filed with either the WTO Security and Safety  Section, or the police department in the city in 
which the item was stolen. 
31. The Head of the Library will use his or her discr etion to judge the merit of the explanation, 
and will have the final say on all exceptional cases. 
Recalls
 
 32. The Library reserves the right to recall any item at  any time after the first renewal.  Items not 
returned to the Library within one week of a wr itten recall will be considered overdue, and the normal 
procedures will apply. 
Departing staff
 
 
33. Secretariat staff who leave the Organization must receive clearance from the Library stating 
that all items have been either re turned or replaced prior to their de parture.  The Library will inform 
the Budget and Finance section of the clearance. 
34. In the event that clearance cannot be given, the Library will instruct the Budget and Finance 
Section to invoice the staff member  concerned for the replacement va lue of overdue, lost or damaged 
items.  In such cases, final clearance will be give n by the Budget and Finance Section after receiving 
the necessary payment. WT/INF/153 
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  V. RESPONSIBILITIES 
Person concerned Responsibility 
Chief of Section/Head of Library Review the policy at least every two years 
Library staff Record all loans, and send all reminders 
Collect all items returned to the Library Implement the approved procedures, and inform the user and 
Budget and Finance Section of all replacement costs 
Administrative Assistants/Delegation coordinators Upon receipt of the third reminder, ensure that staff return or 
renew overdue items 
Library users Ensure all borrowed items are returned or renewed on time 
 
VI. DEFINITIONS 
• Circulation :  periodical titles which are sent to Secretariat staff listed on a routing list 
through the internal courier system. 
• Damage :  any serious degradation of an item from the state when it was borrowed by 
the user during the loan period, beyond that which could occur due to normal usage.  
Marking or highlighting words or sections of  the item is considered to be damage. 
• Inter-library loan :  borrowing arrangements made between the WTO Library and 
partner institutions, including UN/UN-agency libraries, Swiss university libraries, and the libraries of other international organizations. 
• Item:  any Library material which can be borrowed or which circulates from the 
Library, including books, yearbooks, regul ar periodicals, newspapers, working 
papers, etc.  Most items borrowed form the Library are books. 
• Loss:  an item which cannot be returned to  the Library since it is no longer in the 
borrowers physical possession, or because it has not been returned or renewed 
following the procedures listed in this policy.  Items can be either declared lost by the 
user, or declared lost by the Library after three monthly reminders have been sent without action on the part of the user. 
• Member and Observer delegates :  individuals who have been accredited and recorded 
through the Accreditation and Registration Application and are based in Geneva  (also 
appearing in the blue book). 
• Overdue :  items which have not been returned  or renewed within the standard one 
month loan period. 
• Renewal :  an intention signalled by the user to the Library to borrow items for an 
additional month.  Renewals can be made in person, by e-mail or by telephone.  
Notwithstanding this, items will need to be  presented to the Library upon every third 
renewal.  WT/INF/153 
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  • Replacement value :  the cost of purchasing the identi cal title or its equivalent and any 
associated delivery costs.  Delivery cost s will be based on the standard delivery 
option. 
• Secretariat staff :  those with a valid WTO picture ID ("badge"), including all regular 
staff, fixed term staff, and short term staff,  trainees and interns with a contract of one 
month or more. 
• Students and academic researchers :  students, professors or other academic 
researchers studying at Swiss universities, or  at academic institutions elsewhere in the 
world. 
• United Nations and UN-agency staff :  anyone working for the United Nations system 
worldwide and eligible to borrow books in any UN library. 
 
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